Not the time to find faults but to take action: Health Min official on Nizamuddin congregation

Amid apprehensions of substantial spread of COVID-19 after a religions congregation in Nizamuddin in the national capital left many infected with the virus, the Health Ministry on Tuesday said it was not the time to find faults but to take action.

The Delhi Police has cordoned off a major area in Nizamuddin West here where many people showed symptoms of coronavirus after taking part in the Tabligh-e-Jamaat held earlier this month that was attended by over 2,000 people.

"With respect to the Nizamuddin area, we all need to understand and appreciate that this is not the time to do fault finding. What is important for us is to take action as per our containment process in whatever areas we find a case," Agarwal said at a press briefing.

Twenty-four people who took part in the religious congregation have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said earlier on Tuesday.

He said 700 people who attended the congregation have been quarantined while around 335 people have been admitted to hospitals, and that screening of all those who participated in the event was being conducted by the government.

Over 2,000 delegates, including from Indonesia and Malaysia, attended the congregation after the government banned social gatherings.